Renee Capozzola
Fine Underwater Photography
Renee photographing a playful humpback calf in Moorea, French Polynesia.
Renee Capozzola is an international award-winning underwater photographer who specializes in wide angle and split-level images. Her work is an intriguing combination of artistic talent honed through oil painting during her youth and a professional background in biology.
As a Southern California native, the ocean has always been a large part of her life. Since she started scuba diving in 2004, she has been to some of the most remote parts of the world and developed a true appreciation for marine organisms with her diversified travels. Renee believes that striking images help increase awareness of our fragile marine ecosystems and encourage others to help protect our oceans.
To that end, her images have won over forty prestigious international awards, including "Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021" in the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition, "USA Photographer of the Year" in the 2019 World Shootout, the David Doubilet Award of Excellence in the Portfolio category in the 2020 Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year, the 2020 DAN Europe Card Award, first place in the 2019 and 2017 Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year, first place in the 2021 and 2019 United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competitions, first place in the 2018 Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition, first place in the 2018 Asia Pacific Underwater Photo Challenge, and the Best In Show award at 2017 Beneath The Sea. In 2017, Renee was selected for the International Photography Awards 2017 curated Best of Show Exhibition, which featured a special selection of winning images from the 2017 International Photography Awards Competition and displayed them in numerous venues around the world including New York City, Tokyo, Paris, and Moscow. She was a member of the USA National Team that won the 2019 and 2016 World Shootout, and her work has also appeared throughout the world in leading print and online dive publications. When she is not in the water with her camera, Renee teaches biology and educates her students about the challenges facing our oceans and the importance of conserving marine ecosystems.